Mobile roaming charges in the EU to be abolished by June following pricing agreement with operators

EU roaming may not apply to the UK for long as a result of Brexit

Mobile phone roaming charges across the European Union will be abolished by 15 June, after wholesale pricing plans were agreed between the EU and mobile operators.

The deal sets out the costs operators can charge one another when customers use their networks when abroad. The cost of voice calls has been set at 3.2 cents a minute, SMS text messages will cost one cent, while mobile data will be progressively reduced in price over the next six years:

• €7.7 per GB (as of 15 June 2017)
• €6 per GB (as of 1 January 2018)
• €4.5 per GB (as of 1 January 2019)
• €3.5 per GB (as of 1 January 2020)
• €3 per GB (as of 1 January 2021)
• €2.5 per GB (as of 1 January 2022)

Andrus Ansip, vice president for the Digital Single Market, said that the agreement meant that everyone in the EU will be able to enjoy free mobile phone services across the continent from this summer.

"We have also made sure that operators can continue competing to provide the most attractive offers to their home markets," said Ansip.

The proposals must now be approved by the European Parliament and the Council before they become law and it's unclear what effect, if any, it will have on domestic prices. That approval, however, is expected to be a formality.

It is also unclear how long the deal will apply to UK consumers with Britain's anticipated departure from the EU, probably by April 2019 if Article 50 is invoked before the end of next month.

As such, they may face the return of hefty bills when using their phones abroad, unless separate deals can be agreed between the UK government and the European Union.